Beit Iba

Beit Iba Sunday 15.04.07, PM Observers: Aliya S., Susan L. (reporting)Guest: Mary D. SummaryThere is an essence to all our monitoring of West Bank checkpoints in that all our observations are firmly rooted in a political context where, even on days that are not harsh, we cannot fail to be reminded of our surroundings and attentive to the issues which lie beyond the present context: the never ending presence of occupation.13:50 Jit JunctionNo sign of any temporary checkpoint, not much traffic on the road today, nor at: --Beit Iba14:00 – 15:00 A quiet shift where D. and his soldiers, none of whom object to giving their names or the commander's name, move passing pedestrians and vehicles with a human touch, with some inkling of civilization. A number of times pedestrians make use the humanitarian line, even though it is not "officially" open. A mother and her three small toddlers are allowed to pass, at other times, older men, or men who "negotiate passage," and sometimes people are sent back to the regular line at the turnstiles. What is rare, too, is that an appeal from a passing Palestinian, working for an Italian NGO, is heard by the soldiers, who even sign a piece of paper for him to keep with an ID whose numbers pop up on the computer screen at the checkpoint morning and evening. Nevertheless, a soldier's gun still pokes non stop right into Palestinian bags and brief cases at the checking table, and often a young woman is sent back to the table to have her papers and plastic bags examined if she hasn't already stopped there. The electric lights at the checkpoint still go on at a ridiculously early hour -- 14:45. At the vehicle checking point, passage is also speedy. Each ID may be checked against a list of bus passengers, but the list is short and narrow, not long and wide, as on most days.